Ahhh, someone up there is just toying with me.....

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1761050

 

ESPN.com news services

 

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Massachusetts-based real estate developer has submitted a bid to move the Montreal Expos to Connecticut, but Major League Baseball is not giving the plan much consideration.

 

John Alevizos of Wellesley, Mass., who helped Toronto land an expansion franchise in the mid-1970s, has organized a group of investors who want to buy the Expos and relocate the club to Connecticut.

 

Alevizos was quoted as saying in Wednesday's editions of The Middletown Press that his group offered more than the $125 million the other 29 teams paid for the Expos three years ago. Alevizos told the newspaper his group is looking at several locations around the state to build a 34,000-seat ballpark.

 

The proposal was given to Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, a member of the relocation committee. But it has not yet been forwarded to Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, or to officials in the commissioner's office, baseball spokesman Rich Levin said Wednesday.

 

"My optimism has no bounds," Alevizos told The Hartford Courant.

 

The Expos also are being sought by Las Vegas; Monterrey, Mexico; Norfolk, Va.; Northern Virginia; Portland, Ore.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C. Baseball hopes to make a decision by the All-Star break in July.

 

Currently, the only major league team in the state in any sport is the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA, but there are three Double-A Eastern League baseball teams and several independent minor league teams in Connecticut.

 

Alevizos told the Courant, for Tuesday's editions, that private funding would provide for a 34,000-seat stadium that because of its relatively small size would drive up demand for season tickets. The Hartford area is where fervent interest in the Yankees and Red Sox collides, but as a National League team, the transplants -- who would be known as the Connecticut Colonials -- would not be able to draw on that interest to any great extent.

 

The Courant reports that the real estate firm of Colliers, Dow & Condon, which is helping Alevizos, claims that the four sites being considered do not infringe on the territory of other major league teams.

 

"I think Connecticut is the perfect location," said Alevizos, a Red Sox vice president in 1969-74 and former Boston University business administration professor. "If [baseball] does their homework, they'll agree."

 

Bids of various degrees of seriousness also have been launched from Washington, Northern Virginia, Portland, Ore., Las Vegas and New Jersey.

 

Connecticut first had major league baseball in 1872 when Mansfield of Middletown joined baseball's first major league, the National Association, for part of the league's second season. The team disbanded in August. Hartford joined the league in 1874 and New Haven was in for one season, 1875.

 

The National Association evolved into the National League in 1876 and that was the last season that Connecticut had a major league baseball team. The next year, the Hartford Dark Blues moved to Brooklyn.

 

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Please oh please oh please! I love baseball! Get them over here.

What Soriano said

Steinbrenner, Wilpon and Henry are three of baseball's strongest owners and they won't take it without big $$$. Better to pay off Angelos and move them to DC.

Baseball in Connecticut would be awesome. It's too much of a pain for me to drive to Boston or New York. Having a stadium 20-30 minutes from my house would be amazing.

Where would they play until a new park is built?

What would there flagship radio station be?

What is the size of the media market?

Where would they play until a new park is built?

What would there flagship radio station be?

What is the size of the media market?

They could play at UConn's brand new football stadium

I'm not too familiar with CT AM, mostly FM but there is a station

Media market is fairly developed. We are right between NY & Boston.

 

And don't forget there used to be 2 teams in Boston(Sox & Braves) and 3 teams in NY (Yanks, Giants & Dodgers). I wouldn't worry about market share.....this aint Iowa.

Where would they play until a new park is built?

What would there flagship radio station be?

What is the size of the media market?

They could play at UConn's brand new football stadium

I'm not too familiar with CT AM, mostly FM but there is a station

Media market is fairly developed. We are right between NY & Boston.

 

And don't forget there used to be 2 teams in Boston(Sox & Braves) and 3 teams in NY (Yanks, Giants & Dodgers). I wouldn't worry about market share.....this aint Iowa. Just playing devil's advocate, but I would like to see another team in the South. The Mid-Atlantic (DC, Virginia, Carolinas) could support a team and they don't have one as close as Connecticut does.

The expos can play at Shea using a split schedule. This would make the expos a ton of bucks.

Just playing devil's advocate, but I would like to see another team in the South. The Mid-Atlantic (DC, Virginia, Carolinas) could support a team and they don't have one as close as Connecticut does.

Well the likelihood of Expos coming to CT is about the same as Pudge returning to Fish this year. Just glad to hear CT hasn't given up on pro sports since the Whalers split.

 

But yea, I support the DC area if not CT....bring back the Senators!

Although it's intriguing, I really doubt MLB would put yet another team in the NE, when open markets like Portland are still out there. I also think DC has a better chance.

mlb needs a team in vegas, dc, or portland. id like to see either one of the 3 but connecticuit? i dont think thats such a good idea

Baseball is not doing too well on capital hill, put the game back in the nation's capital and let the Blue Jays take over Canada since they have basically done that. It is sad because without Montreal, baseball wouldn't be the great game it is today. Montrealers should get a AAA team to replace the Expos at least!

Been reading over on some of the Expos boards and some Montreal Gazette articles and it looks like MLB may not be moving the Expos.

 

First, They are close to signing a deal with The Score (cable sports channel in Canada) for 25 games in English. CFCF-TV is looking to get another 25 games out there.

Second, The team is competing this year on the promo side more than ever before.

Third, None of the bidding suitors has a clear cut advantage to Montreal.

look at the payroll of the mets, yankees, and red sox. it is imperative we get another team in this area.

I think its a forgone conclusion the Expos are done in Montreal....they can't fill up the seats. And unless the new owner actually spends money on the team(yea right) then it's destined for somewhere else.